So I wasn't sure how I wanted to portray the language of dragons in this story but I think I've figured it out. The name of the language is "Dracolith". Unless a character is actively speaking it, we don't need to worry about it, as I'll leave it in English. But if they are speaking it, then it means only those that speak the language will understand it, so I decided to use German for those situations simply because it is what I took as my foreign language class back in school.
FANFICTION WHY THE FUCK CAN'T I USE SUPERSCRIPT TO HELP WITH INDEXING CRAP FOR PEOPLE TO CHECK THE BOTTOM FOR TRANSLATIONS!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do not own these characters. I do not own the story idea, at least not entirely. Then again, someone else may have had the same ideas I did. Eh, how about I don't own anything in this story. Is that a good enough disclaimer?
Chapter 3.
The Gift of A Legacy and New Beginnings
After eating the venison that Natsu had cooked for them, and setting up some bedding for them to sleep on just inside the cave, Natsu was finally ready to deal with the seal that Igneel had placed at the very back of the cave. So Cana and Koharu could see, he made a torch and carried it in his left hand.
The back wall of the cave was smooth, and if it weren't for the fact he knew what he was looking for, Natsu wouldn't have noticed the slight indent in the center that looked like a dragons head. Reaching out with his right hand he slowly fed the mark his magic, causing it to glow. Once the mark itself was fully lit by a warm fiery orange light, two lines of white raced up from the floor tracing out the shape of a doorway before combining together and cutting straight down, splitting the mark in half. The moment the door fully materialized a low rumbling sound started up and the two sides folded inward opening up for them to pass through.
The room they entered was somewhat large, but not enough to make it hard for his torch to illuminate everything. Amassed in the back left corner was a large pile of gold and gems. The wall on the right was lined with bookshelves. On the back wall closer to the bookshelves than the pile of money there were three medium sized chests. The middle of the room had a podium with a large dust covered tome.
One either side of the door was a bronze sconce, each one holding a lacrima that Natsu recognized as just needing a bit of magic to cause them to light up and glow. Eating the flame of his torch he let his magic touch the two lacrima so they would light the room instead. After all they would produce a brighter light than his small flame.
While he did that Cana was looking towards the pile of money.
"That's quite the sum of gold you've got there."
"I've no idea how I'm going to get all of this out of here."
He replied even as he moved towards the podium.
"We'll come back in here after we put Koharu down to sleep and I'll use some of my blank cards to store it."
Cana told him without missing a beat. But he didn't hear, having already opened the ancient looking book in front of him. He recognized the words as being written in Dracolith and flipped through. He'd seen Igneel's writing before and at least the writing of the first couple pages didn't look like it. As he flipped through the tome, Natsu noticed that every so often the handwriting changed.. He also saw that as he got closer to the back of the book the words were less faded.
Eventually he got to a section that looked like Igneel's writing from what he remembered. Just skimming through it was enough to confirm that Igneel had in fact written in the book. But he stopped dead in his tracks when he got to the last page that was written on. Between it and the next blank page was an envelop. That wasn't what drew his attention however.
The last page was quite stunning to him.
'I, Igneel the Fire Dragon, and King of all Dragons declare my heir to be my adoptive son Natsu Dragneel. So I say and so it is written. Magic will imprint the knowledge necessary to find and take the trial of Dragons should he not have the necessary knowledge upon reaching his majority. Upon his success the title of Dragon King shall be his. May the magic of the past guide the kings of the future. Forever may the line of Kings reign.
Igneel, The Fire Dragon King'
Natsu was still in shock over what he'd just read. Cana and even Koharu tried to get his attention to no avail. It didn't help that she couldn't read whatever it was written in the book. Eventually Koharu seemed to have gotten fed up with him not responding a let out a frustrated screech.
The sound drew the pink haired man out of his reverie even as he flinched. When he turned to see why the little one had let out such a sound he found both her and Cana looking at him. There was a clear pout visible on Koharu's face and Cana was looking both confused and concerned. Reaching out he took Koharu and attempted to cheer her up.
"I'm sorry little one. I didn't mean to upset you."
He whispered, before making faces and tickling her tummy in a playful way. Cana couldn't help but smile at him being so caring and gentle with the child. Eventually she started to tire however. Gesturing with his head he lead Cana back out to where they had set their stuff. Sitting down he started to gently rock Koharu in his arms even as he began to hum a lullaby.
When she was asleep he put her in the carrier slash bassinet they had been given for traveling with an infant. Carefully picking it up he used his free hand to motion for Cana to whisper if she wanted to say anything.
"Sound echoes horribly in this cave."
he said in a voice that was quieter than she'd ever heard him speak with.
"I'd bet. Do you want to talk about what had you so shocked?"
"Yeah, but I want to grab a few things then we can move outside to talk without have to whisper."
Natsu responded as he reentered the treasure room as he'd decided to call it. He picked up the tome and the letter that had been inside. Leaving the door open just in case, he led Cana back out to the mouth of the cave. He set the carrier down and re-lit his cooking fire so they had some natural light to use as it had gotten dark outside.
He sat himself down on the ground a few feet away from Koharu, but close enough he could spring to her carrier if something woke her up.
"So?"
"I'm not exactly sure what this book is, but it's written in Dracolith, which is the term for the language of dragons. It's hand written and every so often the writing changes style as if someone else wrote it. The last few pages were written in Igneel's hand. But the last page threw me off guard entirely."
He answered her prompt. To make sure he had it word for word, Natsu reopened the tome to the last page. Clearing his throat he translated it for her. Similar to his first reaction, Cana had also gone wide eyed.
"I didn't know he was the Dragon King. I thought it just refereed to the fact his fire was stronger than that of other fire dragons."
Natsu told her when she snapped out of it.
"That's a pretty big responsibility from the sounds of it."
"There was also this letter being used as a bookmark for that last page."
Cana gestured for him to open it. With a deep breath he tore through the seal keeping it closed and pulled out a sheet of paper. Unlike the tome it was written in the human language so Cana was able to read it over his shoulder.
'Dear Natsu,
If you are reading this, then you have grown strong enough to break through the seal and find the remains of my hoard from my younger years. Of course you probably have questions, so I'll answer them as best I can by explaining what you should know now.
Firstly, if you've grown strong enough to break the seal then it means you have grown strong enough to continue on to become what we dragons have dubbed a 'True' Dragon Slayer. You see there is more to your magic than just making you more dragon than human. Once it reaches a certain level, Dragon Slaying magic starts to corrupt the last bit of human DNA you have, until you become a complete dragon just as the slayers from the Dragon Civil War did. Because the process drove most of them insane, and only two actually survived to control the power with one going on a murderous rampage, it was decided we would prevent all slayers from reaching that stage.
What this means is that by using our own magic to counter the process, we dragons have sealed ourselves inside of you dragon slayers to prevent your magic from completing the process. Unfortunately there is a power threshold. Should you reach a certain level of magical strength before we are able to completely immunize your bodies to the process it will happen regardless of our efforts.
I can only hope you find a way to break the seal containing me inside you before your magic starts the transformation, because it will treat me as a threat and destabilize the process enough to kill both of us. If this has happened after or at least around the time you have reached your majority, which in the case of humans is typically eighteen, then there is a simple solution.
As I'm sure you read the Tome of Kings, you will know that I have chosen you to be my successor to the throne of the Dragon King. There is a special trial that all potential Dragon Kings must pass, and the process of that trial will free me from inside you. DO NOT RUSH INTO THE TRIAL! You will need to read the Tome of Kings to learn about where to go for the trial and what you must prepare for, so read very carefully and make sure you are ready.
In fact, I suggest making good use of everything you find in my hoard to prepare. Trust me when I say what I managed to teach you before having to seal myself inside your body was nowhere near enough for the trial of Dragons. I know how tenacious you can be so I have a feeling if you prepare like I suggest then you'll be just fine. After all you are my son, and I am damn proud of you.
Now enough with the mushy stuff. Let me tell you what you can expect to find in my hoard. On the bookshelves are several tomes with more advanced skills you are probably ready for given your power level. Then there's a few with other rare or useful magics that I had wanted to eventually teach you to help make it so you wouldn't be forced to hold back the vast majority of your power when interacting with other humans. There are also tomes written by other dragons that you might be able to use. Though I ask that if you ever find the daughter of the sky dragon Grandeeney, you give her the set of tomes that my old friend had let me borrow.
The chest closest to the pile of gold and gems is full of scales, a few of my teeth, and even some of my talons that I had regrown over the years. You can use them to make new clothes or armor, or should it strike your fancy you could even use them to make weapons. If you do make weapons, they can only be for members of your den. You know why of course.
The middle chest is full of recording lacrima. They contain memories of our time together, though there are also quite a few with my mate mixed in. The chest closest to the bookshelves contains the lacrima that Tektari's soul became when she passed, and two books worth of notes she made in preparation for if she ever took on a slayer of her own.
You know its possible for a dragon slayer (who hasn't undergone the transformation to become a dragon), to have multiple elements at their disposal. I'd suggest gaining the earth element before using her lacrima if that is what you decide, simply because your control will be far better if you learned to use it without a lacrima aiding you.
I don't really have anything else to mention in the hoard, but it is yours now. I know you will continue to make me proud Natsu. Learn well, and may we meet again when you've claimed the title of Dragon King for your own.
Love, Igneel'
Neither one of them said anything as tears began to fall from Natsu's eyes. Instead Cana wrapper her arms around him, pulling his head to her shoulder so he could let out his emotions. Though her mind was racing with everything she'd read over his shoulder. Natsu could become a dragon?! His father understood him better than she had expected given he also left a chest full of recordings of his favorite memories for Natsu to look through. Her curiosity at how he would obtain a second (or more) element(s) had come back. Add in the fact the letter confirmed that Igneel had wanted Natsu to be his successor as the Dragon King and it was a lot to take in.
Eventually Natsu stopped crying and they were able to separate. Despite Natsu's ability to warm the air around them, Cana wanted to move back to where they'd set up their sleeping bags. She figured it would be more comfortable then lying on the bare ground.
With a sigh Natsu put the fire out as Cana grabbed Koharu's carrier to bring it back with them. Trying to be considerate of Natsu's emotionally drained state she set the little girl on her side of the bedrolls. It was her way of saying that at least for tonight, she would handle Koharu if she woke up in the night. Natsu just gave her a tired smile as he laid down on his sleeping bag. Normally he took a while to fall asleep, but after the emotional ride he'd been on because of the letter he was out like a light.
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
The next morning Natsu was the first one to wake. Moving towards the place he'd stored the remainder of the deer from the previous night, he started to prep the pieces for the thing he'd mentioned to Cana.
The antlers from the buck were stabbed into the ground in suck a way that they could support something between them, or for a stick to be placed between them as a makeshift spit for roasting things. The hide was rolled out on the ground so he could wrap up the organs and all but one of the bones with it, and the hooves were tossed into the ashes from last nights fire. Quietly and with a bit of a solemn air about him, Natsu lit the fire once more. But it wasn't a normal fire, instead being a magical one that was far hotter than it should have been. As the magic flames ate at the hooves they let off smoke, but it was a strange shade of yellow that was quite vibrant.
Taking a deep breath Natsu chanted in Dracolith "Ich danke dir, der edlen Seele des Waldes. Geh jetzt und kehre nach Hause zurück." Before tossing the bundled up hide into the flames. They flickered briefly before the color intensified to a blinding white. Looking away, he mentally counted to five before looking back. The intensity of the glow had died down and color was starting to seep into the flames once more.
Without looking back towards the cave he was already aware of the fact Cana had woken up. In fact he was certain she had watched him, not wanting to interrupt in case it was something important. He ignored her as he took the remainder of the meat from the deer and skewered it with the rib bone he had saved before he placed it so that it was resting on top of the antlers.
Stepping back he smiled when he heard Cana gasp as the fire moved towards the meat, slowly shaping itself into the form of a buck that looked exactly like the one he had brought back the previous night.
It's head looked towards Natsu for a brief moment. It bowed low to him before turning it's attention to the meat. The head dipped low causing the venison to be engulfed in fire. It took a few minutes but it burned the extra meat into nothingness, not even ashes were left behind. Once it was all gone, the fire faded out before a gust of wind kicked up and carried the last dying spark of fire towards the forest. That spark died out before it left the clearing, but Natsu knew what it symbolized.
"You could have come out here for a better view you know."
Natsu commented without even looking towards the cave. Cana jumped at the sound of his voice before sheepishly joining him.
"What was that?"
She asked when she stopped right next to him, looking out at the rather peaceful forest.
"It was something Igneel taught me. To avoid messing with the forests inhabitants too much, we would only hunt what we needed. Because of my training we only ate enough to avoid feeling hungry rather than eating enough to feel full. If we caught something that had more meet on it than was needed, then we would light a magical fire and after saying a prayer, we'd toss everything but the antlers, a rib bone, and the extra meet into the fire. The animals soul would then purify the meat before returning to the forest to be reborn again."
Natsu explained to her as he slowly lifted his arm to sling it around her shoulders. Just having her close enough for physical contact like that was extremely soothing to him. Cana leaned in towards him when she felt his arm, but she didn't respond to his story, knowing that nothing else needed to be said just yet. Eventually they heard the signs of Koharu waking up.
"We didn't go back in and seal everything in my card space last night like I'd suggested. I'm not sure Koharu would enjoy being in the cave all that much. If you want to bring her out here and play, I can handle getting everything so we can start heading back to Magnolia."
Cana commented when they turned back towards the mouth of the cave. Knowing it would probably be quicker if Cana was the one handling the storage issue with everything, the pink haired man just nodded.
"That works for me. But first I think we need breakfast."
"Going to catch something else?"
"Nah. I only caught the deer last night because I wanted to do this ceremony."
Natsu answered as he reached for Koharu. Since he had left the little one to Cana the previous night, he felt it was only fair if he was the one to occupy her this time. Holding Koharu with one arm, he reached into the bag of supplies that the hospital had given him and pulled out a fresh diaper, wipes, and baby powder.
With no hesitation at all, he got her out of the wet diaper she'd been in that woke her up. It was a simple matter to clean her up and get the baby girl into a new one. It was obvious to him that Koharu was a smart one, she didn't squirm at all while he was cleaning her up, as if she knew he was doing it to get rid of the yucky feeling that had disturbed her sleep.
Realizing Natsu's intentions when after putting the supplies back he carried Koharu outside, talking to her about 'seeing the sights' Cana smiled. She thought it was rather sweet that he was trying to make sure that the care and responsibility for Koharu was equally split between them.
An hour later they had eaten and gotten their stuff packed back up. All that was left was the stuff from Igneel's hoard. Natsu let Cana pack away everything but the tome of Kings. Thanks to how important it was, he wanted to keep it in his bag where he knew exactly where it was at all times.
By the time they had been up for two and a half hours they had everything stored inside one of of Cana's card dimensions.
"Well that settles that. Are you ready to head back to Magnolia?"
The brunette said as she looked to Natsu. This time he was the one that had Koharu's carrier.
"Yeah. Though a thought just occurred to me."
Cana raised an eyebrow at that.
"Go on?"
"My place isn't quite big enough to raise Koharu. You live in Fairy Hills, so you don't really have the space either."
Natsu told her as they started walking through the forest. Cana just barely fought off the urge to facepalm as she realized he was right.
"What are we going to do then? Buy a new place that's big enough for the three- no four of us. Sorry I forgot about Happy."
Natsu hummed as he thought about her suggestion.
"That is one option. We could also see about staying with someone while I remodel my place to be big enough."
It was an idea, but Cana found she didn't like that idea as much as just buying a new home.
"I think we'd be better off just buying a new place."
Neither one of them realized just how casually they were talking about moving in together.
"Alright. I was just suggesting it in case we wanted to save up."
"I've got a pretty decently sized savings, so I'm not terribly worried about money. Of course we won't be earning as much for a couple years since one of us will have to stay with Koharu until she's older, unless an emergency pops up, but I think we'll be fine."
Natsu just shrugged in response.
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
Because neither of them wanted to get back to Magnolia during the night, they had slowed their pace down so that they would arrive back home the next morning. Of course they were a bit surprised to find the guild master waiting for them on the path into town. He had a rather stern expression on his face, but they knew he would at least hear them out before saying what was on his mind.
"Good morning master."
"Morning gramps."
They greeted him.
"Good morning you two. Now would you mind explaining the message I got from Happy?"
"What exactly did he say?"
Natsu replied, wanting to know just how badly his friend might have mangled the message due to his poor attention span.
"Happy didn't really say much. I asked how the job went and he said that you had to kill two wyverns. When I asked why you didn't come back with him he said there was a situation with a little girl that required your help."
Natsu and Cana both rolled their eyes at how vague the blue cat had been.
"Yes, I did have to put down two wyverns. I blitzed the first one, and then had to save Cana from being killed by the second. We went to the hospital that Happy had evacuated everyone else to so we could check in with the job requester and get Cana looked at since she had been roughed up quite a bit."
Makarov frowned that Natsu had killed, though he understood that it was necessary.
"As for the little girl, well the wyvern attack forced her magic to wake, but she was taken to safety before it fully awoke. You know how dangerous that can be for a mage. Despite only being six months old, she managed to tap into what was active and I was the only one that could get near her to calm the poor girl down.
Her father died shortly before she was born and her mother wasn't able to be saved by the hospital so she became an orphan thanks to the wyverns. Combine that with the fact she needed to be around a powerful fire mage so her magic would fully activate and settle, and I decided it would be best to adopt her."
It was only then that the guild master of Fairy Tail noticed the carrier that was in Natsu's hands. Seeing where the short mans eyes had gone Natsu chuckled. Bending over he seat the carrier down and gently lifted Koharu out of it.
It was a rather heartwarming sight, and Makarov knew the moment he saw it that Natsu was both serious and completely dedicated to raising the little girl. He stepped closer to get a good look at the sleeping child. He wasn't sure of her eye color, but the hair was a soft golden brown. It wasn't quite as thick as Cana's but, as a parent and grandparent, the guild master knew that could change as the child grew up.
"I see. Can I take that to mean the hospital helped you file the paperwork?"
Cana was the one to answer.
"They did help us yes. I decided I wasn't going to let Natsu do this alone, especially seeing as how often I've seen single parents struggle."
The Giant magic user turned towards the brunette in shock. He wasn't really surprised to hear that she was helping Natsu, but he was to hear that they had adopted the little one together. Cana and Natsu both giggled at the look on his face.
"You look so out of sorts master."
Cana commented with a wry grin. Natsu nodded his agreement.
"I, uh, I…"
The guild master started to say before taking a deep breath.
"Sorry. I was just a bit shocked at how nonchalantly you said it. But now I have to ask, are you doing this solely for her sake? Or have you two started to grow close as well?"
"Gramps, If I told you that the doc said our magic was calling out for each other, and that I'm confident that she is my mate, would that answer your question?"
Natsu shot back.
A huge grin came to Makarov's face as he heard that bit of news.
"I'm happy for the two of you."
"So you're on board with us adopting Koharu?"
Cana questioned with relief evident in her voice.
"Yes I am. Which one of you decided on her name?"
"I did. The people from the vineyard and distillery said her mother always called her 'my little sun' so they didn't know her name. It's my way of incorporating her birth mother in her life in some way since we can't really tell her about the woman yet."
Natsu responded proudly.
"It also strengthens her connection to you since Koharu and Natsu both come from the same language."
Makarov stated as he looked to Natsu with a grin.
"Fair point. Now, are you needed back at the guild or do you think you have the free time to join us? Cana and I decided to buy a bigger place so we have the space to raise this one."
"I still have a bunch of paperwork, so I'll head back to the guild. Do you want me to share the news with the guild?"
Cana and Natsu both shook their heads no at that.
"I think it'd be better if we told them. Of course there might be a bit of chaos, but in the long run I think things will be smoother if we prove ourselves capable of raising her without you stepping in just yet."
The brunette answered.
"However, if you would point Wendy and Gajeel our way I'd appreciate it. I've got some news to share with them. News that they NEED to hear."
Natsu spoke up even as he returned the baby to her carrier, stressing the word need as he did.
"I will do that, if they return from their own jobs today. Should I send them to find you, or just point out that you need to speak with them?"
"Send them to find us. We might be back in town, but I'd rather get both the house and furniture situation sorted. Of course we also have to do a bit of shopping for Koharu as well. So it'll probably be two or three days before we see the rest of the guild again."
Cana answered firmly. On one hand Natsu agreed that those were important tasks that needed to be done quickly, but on the other he felt it was also quite important to tell the guild as soon as they could to prevent rumors. But he bit his tongue and didn't speak up.
"Very well. I'll leave you to the rest of your day. If I see those two, I'll tell them to seek you out later in the evening so they don't interrupt your shopping."
Makarov responded before he turned and walked off down the path. Not wanting to waste time, Natsu and Cana followed after him, though once they got into the town proper their path split off from his. Because Natsu wanted to stay on the outskirts, close to the forest so he could still use his training spot they went towards one of the smaller real estate agent companies rather than the big ones that focused more on central locations.
"Good morning how can I help you?"
The woman at the desk asked with a smile as they entered. The energy in her voice told them the woman enjoyed her job. So they smiled back.
"We're looking to buy a bigger place than the one I currently own. Right now all we know for sure that we're looking for is big enough for a family of four with room to grow, and close to the forest so I can still use my training spot without having to take a half an hour hike to get there."
Natsu told her as they sat down. The woman's short black hair bobbed as her head nodded at his request. Looking over at the filing cabinet that was beside her, she opened a draw that was marked 'Forest Homes'.
"At least three bedrooms, but preferably more..."
She muttered as she rifled through the documents. Every so often she would pull one folder out and place it in a stack on her desk. By the time she reached the back of the cabinet drawer she had five different homes for them to look at.
"Since you didn't give me a price range I just pulled all the houses we've got in or near the forest that are three bedrooms or more. I hope that's alright."
The black haired woman said as she spun back to face them.
"That's fine. We didn't really have a price range in mind. Considering we're active mages of Fairy Tail we could always pay off a loan if we needed to."
Cana commented, though she doubted they would need to.
"Ah. Well being members of Fairy Tail means you'd get a discounted price anyway. Since the guild protects the town, the mayor has all real-estate agencies offer a 30% discount when buying property. Anyway let's go over the options, and depending on how they sound we could always go out and take a look to see if they'll suit your needs."
"Of course Miss… uh, sorry I don't think any of us introduced ourselves. I'm Natsu Dragneel. This little one here in the carrying basket is Koharu."
Natsu commented in a low voice. Taking it as a sign that they needed to be a bit quieter the woman nodded.
"I'm Elara Votei. It's a pleasure."
Elara replied as she stuck her hand out. Natsu shook her hand firmly, as did Cana when it was her turn.
"Cana Alberona."
With that out of the way they started discussing houses.
The first option was a three bedroom two bathroom cottage that had approximately 1,450 square feet of space. It seemed to be a nice place, though from the paperwork Elara was able to tell them there was work to be done as a storm had caused some damage to the roof. It would be a workable choice, but Cana and Natsu both suggested setting it to the side, saying they could look at it again if the other houses weren't better options.
"Lets put it in a pile and call it the 'Not exactly desirable but still possible pile."
Cana commented before motioning for Elara to present the next option.
The second house was also three bedrooms, but it only had one bathroom. It was a bit smaller than the first as well, and was only a single floor instead of being split into two levels. From the pictures alone, Natsu and Cana were able to determine almost instantly that it wasn't even as viable a choice as the first home.
"This one gets a hard no. I don't think it's all that much bigger than my current place. Not to mention the fact it needs a lot of work."
Natsu had said about the second one.
The third home that Elara had for them to look at was a four bedroom three bathroom estate. Unlike the other two, it had a basement, and an attic. According to the information, discounting the basement and the attic it was 2,100 square feet. The pictures showed that the previous owner had set aside a small section of the back yard for a vegetable garden, which seemed to still be thriving despite no one having been to the home in several months.
"We definitely want to see this one, so let's put it aside for now as the most viable option."
Cana said as she started a third pile for the folders.
Fourth was another three bedroom two bathroom cottage. It was the same size as the second home however, and while it didn't need as much work, there was still work to be done. Not to mention the work that was needed was expensive.
"To the no pile with this one."
Natsu and Cana stated in unison.
The last house that Elara had a file to show them was the largest. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms. The home was labeled as the "Forest Manor". It was almost double the size of the first home being 2,600 square feet. From the pictures however Natsu was wary. He had built his home, and repaired it plenty of times, so he knew what water damage to the floor could mean. He wouldn't outright turn it down, but he did want to see just how much work it could need before making a choice on the matter.
"I don't want say yes just yet to this one, but I do want to take a look."
The pink haired man commented with a sigh. Having seen the same thing he did Elara nodded. Taking the folders with them (since the keys for the houses were stored with the documents), the three of them and Koharu took a tour of the two homes.
- XXxxXxXxxXX-
In the end they went with the estate house. While the damage was minimal at the manor home, the layout of the estate made it easy for them to remodel and expand in the future if they wanted to. Plus it had more storage area having both an antic and a basement, while the manor had neither.
Another benefit to the estate house was that it was fairly close to Natsu's old home. It didn't take him long to bring his things over. Thinking it would be best to put everything where it needs to go before bringing her own things over, Cana directed Natsu with furniture placement. Though not everything stayed. He found Happy at their home and told the blue cat about what was going on, before the feline pitched in and helped with gathering their belongings.
Natsu's home provided their kitchen utensils, dinning room table and chairs, a couch, and a few bookshelves. There was also a large bearskin rug that the brunette had carefully positioned in the living room. She didn't want to sleep in a hammock, so Natsu's was put into storage for if they every decided to have an outdoor hammock in the backyard. Happy's however was kept though she decided that Happy could hang it wherever he decided he wanted to sleep. Of course she put her foot down on him staying in the same room as her. After all Cana had gotten very used to sleeping near Natsu while they were gone so she wanted to share her bed with him. Because they both wanted to have a mixture of their things on display, most of his nick-knacks were still in the boxes he carried them over in for them to sort through later.
Then it was Natsu's turn to sit and play with Koharu while Cana moved out of her dorm room at Fairy Hills. Because she took better care of her clothes and towels when doing the laundry, Cana was the one that supplied all of their towels. She also had a rather large wardrobe that would work nicely for the two of them in their room, though she knew it wouldn't hold all of their clothes. Her bed from Fairy Hills was also brought over and placed in their room, as was her night stand. Her lacrima lamps were also brought over with the tall one being placed in the living room and the short one sitting on her night stand in the bed room.
Her coffee table, that was normally used as a dining table while she lived in Fairy Hills was put in the living room, and her large collection of various alcohols was stored in the basement. It was while she and Natsu were setting out the various assortments of decorative items on the shelves and the mantle in the living room that Happy declared he wanted to 'see what it was like to live on his own' and decided to move into the garden shed that was just off to the side in the back yard.
By the time they had everything moved in it was rather late. So they decided to do their furniture shopping tomorrow and moved into the kitchen to relax as Natsu cooked dinner for them. As she fed Koharu a bottle Cana couldn't help but sigh.
"Everything is so surreal right now. I can hardly believe it's happening."
"I know what you mean. So many things are going to be different now. I'm not sure how we'll handle it all."
Cana smiled softly as she looked towards him.
"We'll do it together of course."
Natsu nodded back glad that she was with him on this new journey that life seemed to be taking him on. 'It's the end of one journey and the start of another.' He told himself in an effort to cheer himself up.
"I don't drink much, and I know you want to cut back, but I think we should celebrate. This fish fillet I'm making goes nice with a red wine or so I've been told."
Nodding in agreement that they should celebrate Cana had Happy bring up a bottle from the basement. She poured them each a glass as Natsu set the table. When he sat down, Natsu raised his glass towards Cana.
"Here's to new beginnings."
I don't really plan to do this often, but anytime I have something that isn't written in English I will have a translation in a footnote at the end of the chapter. Of course it's been a while so my German is probably rusty, and my grammar might not be exact, but I think it's close enough that you could use Google Translate to correct the grammar issues if there are any.
German: Ich danke dir, der edlen Seele des Waldes. Geh jetzt und kehre nach Hause zurück.
English: I thank thee noble soul of the forest. Go now and return home.